Honest Scrap - Tag, I'm it!

I have to begin this post with profuse apologies to Level 1 Human (L1H) who tagged me 1st a few days ago.  I was very behind in on the list of posts I’d planned for here that I had to get those done first.  I find it infuriating when I let the posts hit two weeks behind where I am in my gaming.  It gets all confusing and stupid.  An idea for a quick post pops into my head that I can’t use because I haven’t brought my gaming story along that far yet and would be all out of place.  The anal person in me REALLY had to get those posts written and uploaded.  *Whew*

The Rules

You have to mention and link to the person that nominated you, nominate seven blogs you enjoy and tell us 10 things about yourself.  Here goes...

The Seven Blogs

Being tagged by L1H and Tipa, with the accompanying compliments was very much appreciated.  I think I’m hitting that mid life crisis as another birthday approaches.  I often feel guilty about the amount of time I spend gaming, reading about games, listening about games and writing about them.  Granted, I work a 65+ hour workweek and have no children at home, so the time is all my own and has completely replaced watching television, I still feel twinges of guilt.  Visitors and those who comment, help reel me in to the fact that I’m not alone and I’m not crazy, no matter what my friends and family think of this hobby.  *Smile*

Seven blogs I love are easy to pick. I have a strong preference for the personal journey blogs.  I enjoy hearing about other gamers within those more intimate confines of them telling their own stories and adventures.

The first personal blog that I felt a strong connection with is StarGrace’s MMOQuests.  I’ve been reading her for a very long time.  I loved how much she loved EverQuest II.  Beyond talking about the game itself – how it works and information helpful to other players, she writes role-playing stories in the voice of her characters, which I adore.  She’s also a screenshot shutterbug and allowed me to see places I’d never get to myself.

I’m an avid follower of Tipa’s West Karana for similar reasons.  It’s a journal of her gaming adventures with stories, pictures and recently, her brilliant “Adventures in Monopoly” series.  She’s also a crafting junkie and is not ashamed to be all girlie silly in games by admitting that fashion is important.  She can slice-n-dice monsters while striking a fashionable pose.  I followed Tipa to Wizard101 and it did not disappoint.  It’s been unfortunate for me that the gamers/bloggers I really enjoy happen to be playing games I’m not a big fan of or our stints in a game miss each other.  I was very happy to get to play W101 with Tipa for a short time.

Kinless’ Chronicles is another blog favorite.  I’m so jealous that he and his wife are completely in love with the same game, World of Warcraft.  Kinless has entertained me for several years reading about their character progression.  Here again, there is the personal tone that I find most enjoyable when reading blogs.  These are real people – real gamers, talking about their travels in a virtual world.  I find it fascinating.  I did meet Kinless for the briefest of moments.  Our paths crossed in Warhammer Online.

The gentlemen of Kill Ten Rats are in my regular reading routine.  It took me a few months of gaming to recognize the irony in the blog name.  Duh!  Here I find a mixture of game commentary, opinion and re-telling of in game happenings.  This is one of the few blogs with multiple authors that I find works very well.  They share similar tones and styles, which keeps the transitions from story to story feeling seamless.  I spent a tiny-winy bit of time chatting with KTR in my first foray into EVE Online.  I can’t remember now if it was Brent or Van Hemlock that introduced me to them in game. Wow, that feels like a lifetime ago!

Mommas don’t make ‘em any nicer than Cap’n John.  John’s blog isn’t dedicated to gaming.  He talks about work and his family, in addition to his gaming adventures.  But when he does talk about gaming, it’s always entertaining.  He talks about what his characters are up to, does RP stories and pictures – clearly, I like this sort of thing in gaming blogs.  *Smile*  John is another blogger who I’d read for a long time before actually getting to meet him in a game, which happened to be Wizard101 of all things.  Such a helpful player, he came to my rescue more than once.

Tish Tosh Tesh, is a recent addition to my reading line-up.  Tish claims to be new to MMOs but I don’t know.  Sometimes I suspect he’s a plant, a ringer – knows too much to be the noob he claims.  Tish is much more gaming commentary than storyteller and it’s a refreshing change in my reading diet.

Warrender’s blog, Ground Zero, is as quiet as he is in game.  He’s free to call himself Winged Nazgul but I met him as Warrender, the Warrior Priest in Warhammer Online.  *Wink*  He’s a heads-down backdrop sort of player and his blog is similar.  His posts are purely about his own experiences in games – rather detailed and enlightening for anyone considering or playing the same game.  There were two things that made Warhammer Online amazing beyond the early flutter of players and content.  First was being in an amazing guild, The Casualties.  Pure unadulterated fun.  PERIOD.  Second, was being a lowbie and kicking Destruction’s ass in PVP.  The latter was only possible because of considerate, helpful and protective high-level guild members like Warrender.  The fun I had playing with COW and running behind Warrender won’t soon be forgotten.  I keep reading Warrender looking for that next game he’s playing that I might enjoy.

On to 10 things about me.  I'll try to list new things:

1. I'm terrified of balloons popping.  The whole popping sound sets me on edge.  This fear extends to Pillsbury baking products which I can't open with my hand because the popping when it opens FREAKS ME OUT.  Imagine me with oven mittens on, bracing the can of biscuits kitty-corner on the counter braced by the wall, holding it with BBQ tongs, squeezing my eyes shut and trying to press it open with the longest knife I can find, and you'll understand the lunacy and hilarity of this particular fear.  It must be hereditary.  I can't get any of my kids to open it either if they happen to be at my house.
2. I have a fear of drowning.  This one makes more sense since I almost drowned as a kid.  I still have nightmares about drowning.
3. I don't perspire.  It doesn't matter how hot it is I don't sweat.  Never have.
4. I love all things chocolate except I hate chocolate cake icing.
5. I dislike vanilla except it's my favorite cake icing.  Go figure.
6. I'm an excellent cook.
7. Maroon is my favorite color.  Almost every room in my house has it as part of the theme - some dramatic, some subtle but it's there.
8. I wear too much black, white and tan.  My closet is overflowing with khaki.
9. I adore the smell of roses.  Last summer I planted rose bushes under and around my bedroom windows.
10. I used to be a tomboy.  Growing up in the suburbs of NYC, I ran around like a wild hooligan until I was 12.

Comments

[Winged Nazgul]

Thanks for the tag. I'm deeply honored you consider my blog amongst your favorites. I don't know if I'll continue the meme-chain letter as my list of blogs have either already been tagged or probably don't bother reading mine. I also have a mental list of blog topics I need to get on my site similar to yours. =/

But thanks anyways for the mention.

[Tesh]

Aw, shucks. :) Thanks for the mention!

I'm truly (relatively) new to MMOs, having only played maybe a total of 100 hours among a dozen or so, all in the last three years (and the bulk of that is in the last six months; Puzzle Pirates is my only game that goes further back, and that's a *very* casual relationship), and I've never subscribed to a game.

I'm decidedly *not* new to *gaming*, though, having played since Pong, and I work in the game industry, so I do a lot of digging and studying as it overlaps with what I need to know professionally. I've had at least a passing interest in MMOs and worldbuilding ever since EverQuest was big, but it's only recently that I've really hit them hard, trying to figure them out.

I've found that my low personal investment in the genre *as a player* means I'm way behind the curve in first hand experience, but thanks to you and the other fine writers you mentioned, I'm getting a handle on some things. Whether or not my commentary is valuable to others is a bit of a mystery to me, but at least I'm learning, which is why I appreciate those who do have first hand experience.